In a side that contains 13 Magners League players, including seven Welshmen and six Irish stars, Ospreys lock Jones and Munster captain O’Connell have been paired together for the first time for tomorrow night’s clash with the Sharks in Durban.

With the First Test just 11 days away, McGeechan believes Jones can prove he can adapt to switching to front lineout jumper and form a partnership with the Lions’ on-field leader.

“We rate Alun Wyn Jones very highly,” said McGeechan.

“It is a combination we want to see that we would not normally be able to play together and we are excited about it. But we will not ask Paul or Alun to change their styles of play.”

Jones will be joined by four of his Ospreys team-mates – Lee Byrne, Shane Williams, Mike Phillips and Adam Jones – while Blues pair Jamie Roberts and Gethin Jenkins make up the Welsh contingent.

This will represent the final chance for these seven stars to stake claims for Test places and this is especially true for Williams, the IRB world player of the year.

Williams is one of five players who will be starting their third match of the tour along with O’Connell, Byrne, Roberts and Irish flanker David Wallace but also featured as a replacement in the other game. Despite his amount of game-time, Williams has yet to set down a Test marker with some disappointing displays, highlighted by the intercept try he conceded during last Saturday’s 26-24 victory over the Cheetahs.

But McGeechan has told the Wales wing not to give up.

“I want him to keep his hands on the ball and his involvement in the match high,” said the Scot. “He is starting to show that and we want him to continue in that vein on Wednesday.”

McGeechan admitted the Test side were unlikely to play together now before meeting the Springboks on June 20, saying: “We will try and get combinations together but it is unlikely they will play as a 15 before the Test match.

“I am aware of the risks but I think what we get out of it as a squad far outweighs that.

“The main thing had been to get everyone playing in those first three games.

“Now, in the next three games it is to keep looking at some of the combinations. The only other way of doing it is you separate the teams and say to half the squad you are not going to be involved in a Test match.

“I am not prepared to do that. I want everyone to give me a selection headache.

“If you’ve got only six games to your first Test match, the chances are you might only play two or three times. I think it is more important that each player gets a genuine go – at least twice – to put his own game on the field.”